Summary: Joshua shows us a model for living in victory and having confidence in God

Coach Grant Taylor had coached football at the Shiloh Christian Academy for six seasons and never had a winning record. The chances of a turnaround looked grim to say the least with the star player transferring to a rival school.

Coach Taylor’s problems only seem to keep mounting both personally and professionally. On a personal level Taylor has a car that keeps breaking down, a house that seemed to be falling apart and he and his wife discover that they are unable to have children. On a professional level the team loses the first three games and a group of the player’s father’s work to get him fired. All of this causes Coach Taylor to blame himself for both the failures on the field and the failures at home. This crisis drives Taylor to seek God’s help.

Taylor decides to completely change his team philosophy and put God first with their team. Taylor decides to give everything to God and leave the results up to Him. Here is a scene from Facing the Giants

Show the Death Crawl clip from Facing the Giants

Let me ask you a question: are you giving God your very best?

When God tells Joshua that he was going to lead Israel into the Promised Land, He expected Joshua’s very best. Let’s take a look at how Joshua had already set the stage for God to work in his life.

Basic Background on Joshua

Joshua was a military commander

Joshua led the Israelites against the armies of the Amalakites. The event was marked by victory coming while Moses kept his staff raised over his head.

Joshua accompanied Moses

Joshua served as Moses’ aide to camp. He was the personal assistant to Moses. He was being mentored by Moses for future leadership.

Joshua had a name change

Moses personally changes Joshua’s name. Joshua was originally named Hoshea, which means salvation. Joshua means God is our salvation or God saves. The Greek form of this name is Jesus.

Joshua explored Canaan

Joshua was hand picked by Moses to be one of the 12 scouts who explored Canaan. He was one of the key leaders in the group. Joshua was given the task of giving a report on the inhabitants of the land

Joshua was commissioned

Joshua was selected by God to be the successor of Moses. God gave the command that Joshua be commissioned in that office and capacity. God makes it clear that Joshua was to lead the people into Canaan.

1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." 6 Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them. 7 And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: `When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ " 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.